Friction-gearing.



LOUIS-NAPOLEAN LACOMIBE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FRICTIONGEARING.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 6, 1910.

Patented Dec. 12, 1911.

Seria1 No. 585,561.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS N. LACOMBE, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in thecounty of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and ImprovedFriction-Gearing, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.'

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved frictiongearing, more especially designed for use on automobiles .and othermotor vehicles, and arranged to permit a gradual change from a lowspeed:

to a high speed and vice versa, and to provide a wholly friction drivefrom the motor shaft to the vehicle 'axle to be driven. For the purposementioned, use is made of la variable friction device having a drivenwheel attached to the axle of the vehicle, and a friction drive betweenthe motor shaft and the shiftable driving pinion that engages the drivenwheel.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in theaccompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, in which thefigure is a sectional plan view of the friction gearing as applied to amotor vehicle.

The rear axle A of the vehicle is journaled in the usual manner in theframe B and carries the rear wheels C, and on the said rear axle A issecured a conical friction wheel D having a series of concentriccorrugations intermeshing with similar corrugat-ions ona conical pinionE, mounted to turn with and to slide axially on a polygonal shaft Fwhich is parallel to the axle A, and journaled in suitable bearingsarranged on a frame G. The forward end of the latter is Provided withpins Gr mounted to slide in bearings H attached to the frame B, the rearend of the said frame Gr having elongated bearings G2 slidably engagingthe axle A. Links I pivotally connect the forward 'end of the frame Gwith an arm J on a shaft J journaled on the frame B and carrying a pedalJ2 under the control of the chauffeur or driver of the motor vehicle, sothat when the pedal J2 is pressed the shaft J is rocked and thus causedto impart a forward sliding motion to the frame G which moves theconical friction pinion E out of mesh with the conical driven wheel D.On the shaft J is secured an arm J 3 pressed on by a spring J 4 attachedto the frame B, so that when the chaueur releases the pressure on thepedal J2 then the shaft J is rocked in a reverse direction andconsequently the frame G is caused to slide rearward to move the conicalfriction pinion E again into mesh with the conical friction wheel D. v

On countershaft F is keyed a corrugated or circumferentially groovedcone friction pulley K, and it meshes with a similarly grooved pulley Kmounted slidable on the squared portion of a shaft L3 arranged acrossthe end of shaft F and having a bearing in the same block as the latterand also in a portion of frame bar Gr. The pulley K hasa hub extension Land between this and a collar L5 on shaft L is interposed a spiralspring L4, which presses pulley K against pulley K. A collar Ls is faston the shaft L adjacent to bearing L2 which isformed in the outer endofl an arm of frame Gr. The square end L3 of the shaft L slidinglyengages a correspondinglyshaped socket in the shaft N of the motor sothat'when the lat-ter is running a rotary motion is given to the shaftL,',Which by the intermeshing wheels K and K rotates the shaft F, andthe latter by the pinion E rotates the friction wheel D and the axle Ato drive the vehicle forward or backward according to the direction inwhich the shaft N is running at the time.

The conical friction pinion E is engaged by a shifting fork O mounted toslide along a member G3 of the frame G, and the said ,fork O isconnected with one end of a rope,

cable or a like flexible connection P, which passes around a guidepulley P and connects with an arm Q on a shaft Q, journaled on the frameB and carrying a hand lever Q2 that is under the control of thechauffeur, so that when the pedal J2 is pressed and `the pinion E is outof engagement with the wheel D and the chauffeur moves the lever Q2forward then the fork O is caused to slide on the bar G3, and when thechauffeur releases the lever Q2 then a spring R coiled on the shaft Kand pressing the pinion E moves the latter in the reverse direction ofthe arrow a.

From the foregoing it will be seen that when the chauffeur presses thepedal J2 and the pinion E moves out of engagement with the wheel D thenthe chauffeur on actuating the lever Q2 can shift the pinion E along theshaft P to shift the same into any position relative to the wheel D,after which the chauifeur releases the pressure on the pedal J2 so thatthe frame G moves rearwardly and the pinion E intermeshes with the wheelD at the desired point. Y

It is understood that the shaft L at all times remains connected withthe motor shaft N so that the intermeshing wheels K and K constantlydrive the shaft F by friction and the axle A is driven by friction fromthe intermeshing pinion E and the wheel D. It will further be noticedthat the gearing from the motor shaft N to the rear axle A is wholly afriction drive and hence the vehicle can be started and stopped easilywithout shocks or jars.

As shown in the drawing, the pinion E is in mesh with the wheel D at thebase end of the wheel D and the transmission of power is therefore atslow speed, and when the pinion E is shifted to the apex end of thewheel D the transmission of power is at high speed.

The friction gearing sho-wn and described is very simple and durable inconstruction and can be readily applied to all makes of automobiles andother motor vehicles, and by the use of the friction gearing the vehiclemay be braked on going down steep hills, as the operator on pressing thepedals J 2 very hard can force the frame G rearward with such force thatthe pinion E engages the wheel D correspondingly to increase thefriction between the same for braking purposes.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters -Patent:

l. In a friction gearing of the class indicated, the combination with avehicle axle and a corrugated conical friction wheel keyed thereon, of aframe arranged horizontally in front of said axle and its rear endssupported slidably thereon, means for also supporting the front ends ofsaid frame slidably, and means under the control of the operator forshifting it forward, a spring for retracting it, a counter-shaftjournaled in the frame parallel to the axle and having a shiftableconical corrugated pinion for engaging the aforesaid wheel, the framehaving a front bar parallel to the countershaft, a device which isslidable thereon and engages the aforesaid pinion, means under thecontrol of the operator for shifting the pinion toward the smaller endof the axle wheel, a spring which is applied to the counter-shaft andacts on the pinion, and means for driving such counter-shaft, as shownand described.

2. In a friction gearing of the class indicated, the combination with a.vehicle axlel and a corrugated conical friction wheel keyed thereon, ofa frame arranged hori- Zontally in front of said axle and its rear endssupported slidably thereon, means for also supporting the front ends ofsaid frame slidably, and means under the control of the operator forshifting it forward, the same consisting of a front rock-shaft having apedal attachment, links connecting the slidable frame with arms on therock-shaft, a retracting spring attached to the frame and an arm of therock-shaft for shifting the movable frame backward, and motor-drivenmeans for rotating the counter-shaft, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of subscribing witnesses.

LOUIS NAPOLEAN LACOMBE. lVitnesses:

VILLIAM J As. CARROLL, GEORGE W. THOMPSON, JOHN J. DONAGHY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

